Can Meta’s Muse Win Users’ Trust?

Meta’s new AI agent, Muse, was a central focus at the company’s annual Connect event, where CEO Mark Zuckerberg signaled that AI features will be woven more deeply across the company’s products.

The announcement stood out during a week when other major AI companies were highlighting new models aimed heavily at coding and enterprise customers. Meta, by contrast, leaned into consumer AI, including Muse and a small Tamagotchi-like AI device that the company says is intended only for adults.

That consumer focus may reflect Meta’s strongest position. The company has spent years building products that sit inside people’s daily routines, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Unlike some rivals, Meta has rarely been seen primarily as an enterprise software company.

A consumer AI bet

Muse is designed as a personal AI agent that can help users complete tasks through a chatbot-style interface on a phone. Its pitch is similar to other agentic AI tools: users can ask it to act on their behalf, gather information, and potentially handle parts of everyday digital life.

One early test showed both its promise and its limitations. After suggesting that it could search for unclaimed funds, Muse helped uncover money owed to the user. That produced a real benefit, including a check in the mail, but it was also a one-time use case rather than a habit-forming feature.

The larger opportunity would be more ongoing assistance: reviewing financial accounts, spotting duplicate charges, canceling unused subscriptions, or managing information across email, credit cards, and other personal services.

The trust problem

That is where Meta faces its hardest challenge. For Muse to become useful in a deeper way, users would need to give it access to sensitive personal data. For many people, Meta’s advertising-driven business model makes that a difficult ask.

The initial experience may feel less intrusive than expected, since Muse does not necessarily begin by pulling in a user’s Facebook, Instagram, or Threads data. But as the product becomes more useful, it also has an incentive to connect more parts of a user’s digital identity.

That creates a contrast with companies such as Apple, which may be seen by some users as more trustworthy with private information because its core business is not built around targeted advertising.

Useful tool or novelty?

Muse’s strongest early examples show that AI agents can produce practical results. Finding unclaimed money is compelling, and simple consumer-facing interactions could help Meta reach a large audience.

Still, the question is whether Muse can move beyond impressive one-off tricks. Its long-term success may depend less on what the AI can do and more on whether users believe Meta should be trusted with the personal data required to make it powerful.